Pages

Search This Blog

11 August 2017

Why I've Quit My London Job to Move Home

If you read Wednesday's blog post,you may have figured there was a little something going on in my life. I talked a lot about how happy I thought I would be in London, following that corporate dream of reaching for the stars in a job which I'd spent 3 years at university working to achieve.

I then said, how after experiencing that life for the last 3 months - I'd realised it was time to slow down.

If you'd asked me on my first day of work what I'd be doing in September, I would've laughed at you, and said how I'll be living in Clapham, with some of my friends from uni.

Well, it turns out that's not quite what's happening.

Today is my last official day at the Public Relations company I work for. For the last 3 months I've been a digital marketing executive, a role I've enjoyed, in a work place I've enjoyed. But it's not what I want to be doing.

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to travel. Not just 3 days here and 3 days there, or a prolonged holiday. I've wanted to get out and explore and see the world. I'm pretty sure a lot of people reading this will also have this feeling, but the difference is, I've decided I'm actually going to do it.

Obviously I don't have the money to just hop on a jet plane tomorrow - so what does this entail?

Well, at the beginning of July, I asked my parents if, after 4 years of living abroad and at university, they'd let me move back in with them. The last time I lived with them for longer than 4 weeks, was in 2013, so it's going to be a pretty big change for all of us. But, they were kind enough to agree.

The main reason I'm moving back home is to save money on rent. My commuting + rent costs right now, come to £800. And my income does not allow for me to save in anyway, if anything, it hardly allows me to live. So I'll be working to save up. I've given myself some goals - don't take a step back in my career, find a job which I can feasibly save on, and book a flight out of here for January 2019.

I'll be moving home for a little more than a year. Arguably, the most terrifying aspect of this whole ideal. I'm not the biggest fan of my home town, or home county for that matter. But I figure if I have a goal, my friends in London, and a job to save up with, I'll be okay. I'll also be dedicating a lot more time to Alice's Antics (if you haven't noticed, that's started already) in both blog and Youtube form. I've been lucky enough to have worked in Digital Marketing and Social Media for the last 3 months, which I know is a great area for freelancers and backpackers, looking to make money on the road, something I'll be hoping to do once I've gone.

I am 99% sure the only reason I was lucky enough to be employed straight out of uni, was due to my sheer determination to never relocate back to Dorset again (woops). But the truth is, there's nothing wrong with moving home after university. It's actually inevitable for a lot of people, and it's a life choice I've decided to make.

I will be working in a corporate job for the next 40 to 50 years. If my career starts at 25 instead of at 22, because I've decided to go travelling instead, then I'm more than prepared to go into that job at 25 on a lower salary, but with a lot of my bucket list checked off.

I know this isn't for everyone, and a lot of people are more than happy going straight into work. Doctors, lawyers - I have friends who simply have incredible business acumen - and it's bloody fantastic, in many ways I'm envious of that drive and determination to succeed. But with every day I sit at my desk, not working towards or saving towards what I actually love, I know I'm just resenting my job more and more, which is ridiculous because marketing is a sector I really enjoy.

It's all very Eat, Pray, Love, isn't it?

My content won't change much on here (except as we grow closer to my departure), but there will be a lot less London cityscapes and a lot more countryside views, as I move back home on Monday, and to be honest, I'm just excited. It's all bloody terrifying, but I'm excited for this next step. And obviously Alice's Antics will be coming with me every step of the way.